Hao, Mentos, Ciara and the others stepped out of the wrecked shack, grateful to have survived the nightmare encounter with the Grey Tissue and its minions. However, their reprieve was short-lived. The ground began rumbling once more beneath their feet.

"Again with the bloody tremors!" Mentos exclaimed, struggling to keep his balance. "Is it another of those giant antenna thingies they're planting?"

Lanor nodded grimly. "Must be. We should go investigate what's happening this time. The way these quakes are increasing, I fear the damage will only get worse."

The group hurried cautiously through the dusty streets, heading for the source of the disturbance. Vicky and Boulder remained behind to tend to their precious cargo.

Reaching the border of Wranglers District, they climbed to the top of a partially collapsed building to get a better view.

In the distance, they could see numerous OSD vehicles and strange machinery churning up the earth. A mass exodus of people lugging sacks and pushing carts filed past the operation, escorted by armed officers. Their despairing faces and meagre possessions revealed these were the poorest residents of Wranglers, being forcefully evacuated from their homes.

"Those heartless bastards! How can they treat people this way?" Mentos growled. Even Scar expressed outrage at the OSD's actions.

A rumbling alerted them to an enormous truck approaching, not on wheels but carried on the backs of hulking beasts of burden.

"The Pole Divergence Antennas," Lanor murmured. "Just like mum said. They must be planting them to contain palace breaches."

"Hey look! That's the same logo as the one on your new arm!" One of the children accompanying them pointed at the Sphero Inc marker.

"Sphero's Inc?" Hao murmured in surprise. "So my mother is involved in this as well?"

Hao felt conflicted that Quory Vee's company seemed complicit in the OSD's controversial project. He knew his estranged mother was ambitious to a fault, yet it still disappointed him to see Sphero enabling this displacement of the poor. However, given his precarious situation, he was in no position to intervene or protest.

The truck's precious cargo was revealed to be a massive Pole Divergence Antenna, soon lowered and assembled by the workers. Lanor informed them that several more of these antennas encircling Wranglers would force the entire district to relocate once operational.

Their continued observations of the process stirred vigorous debate within the group over the rights of Wranglers' residents versus the OSD's authority.

"Who gives those OSD cronies the right to drive people from their homes?" Scar complained bitterly, nursing his lingering injuries from the earlier fight with Hao. "They'd never think to set up those damn antennas and force folk out around the Parkour District. Rector’s got the resources and firepower there to make their lives hell if they tried."

The others nodded and argued passionately, tensions escalated over the unfair treatment of the slums compared to other parts of the city. But the sun was rapidly setting, bringing an early dusk with it.

Lanor repeatedly warned, "We really should head back before it gets too dark. It's not safe for us to linger around here."

Reluctantly, they began picking their way down from the roof and navigating the treacherous streets back towards Vicky's compound, leaving the rising antenna site behind.

By the time they reached familiar turf, night had fully fallen, cloaking the District in ominous shadows. All around them, the displaced residents packed up what few belongings they could carry and shuffled along by the pale moonlight. The mood was sombre and defeated.

Hao's heart ached at the sight of crying, dust-covered children clinging to their mothers' skirts. Elders leaned wearily on canes or their family members, their wrinkled faces creased with confusion and sorrow. One small girl sobbed inconsolably as she tried to pull her cherished doll from beneath a collapsed chunk of wall.

Mentos immediately rushed over and helped lift the heavy slab, allowing the child to reclaim her dirty but intact toy. She gave him a teary smile before scurrying after her family.

"This is just awful," Ciara said, distraught. "I wish there was something more we could do to help these people."

Lanor shook her head regretfully. "Getting involved will only make the situation worse at this point. We need to keep moving."

With heavy hearts, they pressed on through the displaced crowds, picking their way over mounds of debris and through narrow gaps between shattered buildings. The Sword Fish siblings trailed behind, providing a comforting lift upon their backs for a few of the most exhausted children.

Rounding a corner, they came upon a blocked alleyway crammed with people desperately trying to climb over a mound of rubble blocking their way. Their path was completely obstructed.

Hao stepped forward and drew his Vibe Edge. "Stand back! I'll clear a way through."

As the crowd quickly shuffled backwards, Hao focused his energy and invoked, "Volume Raiser!"

Whoosh!

Vibe Edge hummed as it released a controlled pulse of vibrations. The rubble trembled, then slowly lifted upwards just enough to create a narrow crawlspace beneath.

"Hurry through!" Hao urged, teeth gritted from the effort of maintaining the energy field suspending the weighty chunks overhead. Parents helped their children squeeze through the gap while others shimmied on their bellies under the precarious rubble. As soon as the way was clear, Hao lowered the debris down with a heavy thud and returned Vibe Edge to its sheath.

"Nicely done, mate! That was brilliant," Mentos praised, clapping Hao on the shoulder. The others also voiced their awe and appreciation for his quick thinking.

"I wish circumstances allowed us to help more people," Hao said regretfully as they continued on. He knew delaying their return to Vicky's base any longer would be unwise, yet it pained him to see such suffering amongst the displaced residents.

Before long, the compound's gates came into view. Most of the structures inside had survived the quakes intact. With conflicted hearts, the group slipped back inside, hoping for some rest after this long and trying day.